Posts Tagged ‘alcohol addiction’
When Drinking Becomes a Problem and a Mental Health Issue that Needs Attention
How do you identify the fact that you have a drinking problem? When is it apparent that you are involving yourself in excessive drinking?
If you have unsuccessfully made an effort to quit drinking or if you sworn to yourself that your drinking days are terminated and then you realized that you were drinking excessively just a few days later, the probability is incredibly good that you have drinking problems. The key point is that if you have attempted to quit drinking and cannot accomplish this, then your drinking is controlling you, rather than the other way around.
Similarly, if it takes larger amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” more likely than not you need to recognize the fact that you have a problem with your drinking.
You may be telling yourself that the reasoning for your drinking is so that you can lessen your nervousness or get rid of the pain that you feel. Similarly, you may be trying to steer clear of an injurious situation and may be looking for something more useful, more constructive, or less regretful.
As you continue to drink, conversely, you will realize that drinking does not bring forth the same high and you will also comprehend that drinking doesn’t help get rid of whatever produced your sorrow in the first place.
As you continue to drink in an excessive way, unfortunately, you may become addicted to alcohol and, as a result, you may add another essential difficulty to cope with rather than discovering more successful and wholesome ways of coping with your alcohol-related predicament.
The Requirement for an Alcohol Evaluation
If you have decided that you have a drinking problem, perchance the most positive thing you can do for yourself is to call your medical doctor or healthcare professional and schedule an appointment for a complete physical and for an evaluation of your drinking activities.
If you in fact believe that you have a serious drinking problem, it might be a good idea to get prepared to hear that you need to get alcohol treatment.
At this point in your life, what are your choices? You can without a doubt refuse to see your medical doctor and continue your pattern of hazardous drinking.
It truly doesn’t take a mastermind, however, to comprehend that long-term, excessive drinking, if left untreated, will go downhill over time and quite possibly set in motion an early death. As a result, your healthiest option is to face up to your drinking circumstance and get the alcohol counseling you need.
The Deception of the Functioning Alcohol Addicted Person
It is somewhat odd to note the fact that numerous alcoholics lead busy and active lives and have jobs, vehicles, pets, families, houses, and any number of material possessions just like non-alcoholics.
Many of these “functional” alcohol dependent people may have never been cited for a DWI and may have been fortunate enough to avoid all alcohol-related legal issues. Despite this fortunate situation, conversely, these alcohol addicted individuals need to drink in order to operate on a regular basis while upholding their facade as they interact with the outside world.
Ask anyone who has seen them when they are bingeing or in a drunken stupor or ask a family member about the problem drinker’s alcohol dependency, however, and they will be quick to articulate the truth of the drinker’s situation and the facts about the alcohol addicted person’s drinking predicament and about his or her alcohol produced predicaments.
Why Do Alcohol Addicted Individuals Fail to See Their Drinking Problems?
As alcoholism research and statistics on alcohol abuse have underscored, no matter how clear the alcohol generated predicaments seem to those who interact with the alcohol addicted individual, alcohol addicted individuals often deny that drinking is the source of their alcohol produced issues. Not only this, but alcohol addicted individuals regularly blame their alcohol-related predicaments on other individuals or upon other circumstances that surround them instead of seeing their part in the problem.
The root of the predicament is that alcohol addiction is a disease of the brain. Once the individual has become an alcoholic, he or she often resorts to denial, manipulation, and deceit as a way of coping with the fact that his or her drinking is out of control. And to make things more complex, the experience of alcohol withdrawal symptoms frequently thwarts the alcohol dependent individual’s rare attempts to abruptly abstain from drinking. As bleak as the alcoholic’s life is, to the contrary, the good news is that competent assistance is usually available – if the alcohol addicted individual reaches out and tries to get alcohol therapy.
Conclusion
Owning up to the fact that drinking is leading to difficulties in your day to day functioning is probably the easiest way to find out if you have a problem with your drinking. Stated more precisely, if your drinking is leading to problems with your health, at work, in your relationships, with your finances, at school, or with the law, then you have a drinking problem that needs to be resolved.
If you have a drinking problem, additionally, this means that you are engaging in excessive drinking.
While some problem drinkers may be able to identify their “alcohol signs,” pinpoint their difficulties, and greatly reduce the amount and incidence of their drinking, others, on the other hand, need to manage their drinking problems by getting quality alcohol therapy. Furthermore, due to their tendency to deny the facts and twist the truth, alcoholics absolutely need proficient alcohol rehabilitation for their excessive drinking.
Tags: exercise, Health, nutrition
A Woman Manifest Signs of Alcohol Addiction and Depression and Makes an Appointment to See Her Healthcare Practitioner About Her Excessive Drinking
Teresa was a thirty-seven-year-old bookkeeper who knew that she had some drinking issues. As an illustration, within the past four months she has experienced the need to have three or four drinks before going to work, four weeks ago she tested positive for a saliva alcohol test where she works, four months ago she got arrested by the state highway patrol for “driving under the influence”, and lastly, for the past two months she has started to forget what she does and says when she drinks with her buddies.
Like many other people, Teresa’s experiences with alcohol began gradually and remained at this tempo for quite some time because every so often she engaged in sporadic social drinking. In reality, for nearly four years, every time she drank, she made sure to drink in a responsible manner. Something about her drinking, nonetheless, seemed to drastically change when she got divorced from her husband.
So She Can Endure the Loss of Her Husband In a More Pain Free Manner, Teresa Made Up Her Mind To Begin Palling Around More Often With Some of Her Buddies Who Love to Whoop it Up and Drink
Teresa got extremely “down” about the breakup with her husband, and as a way to stop dwelling on her depressing emotions she made up her mind that she would start hanging out more repeatedly with some of her buddies who love to drink and have fun.
Quite honestly, Teresa figured that having fun almost every day by partying and drinking with her buddies would help her get beyond the divorce of her husband with less misery.
Teresa’s Drinking Escalates Considerably the More Habitually She Goes to Sporting Events, Family Get-Togethers, Dinner Dates, Happy Hours, and Private Parties With Her Buddies
It didn’t take long, nevertheless, before her drinking escalated substantially the more habitually she went to and drank at private parties, family get-togethers, dinner dates, sporting events, and happy hours with her buddies. Not only this, but the fact that her drinking friends were all quite a few years younger than she was and therefore able to party harder and longer was one of the reasons why she didn’t direct more of her attention to her increased drinking. To be brief, she was drinking and having tons of fun just like everybody else in her group of pals without much reflection about the negative effects of her hazardous and excessive drinking.
Yet someplace in her awareness she knew that she most likely required alcohol rehab but steered clear of the thought as much as she could.
Teresa Gets a Physical Examination, Discloses the Truth About Her Abusive and Hazardous Drinking to Her Healthcare Professional, and Owns Up to the Truth About Her Dejection
One day during her annual physical examination, her healthcare professional asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to tell falsehoods to her healthcare professional, Teresa ”came clean” and said that she regularly drinks more than she should. In point of fact, she stated that she routinely drinks in an abusive and excessive manner. Then Teresa informed her healthcare professional about her constant negativity. More to the point, she stated that wrecked relationships usually started a disheartening sequence of events characterized by increased drinking which further led to more depressing feelings that, in turn, led to more drinking. And this is explicitly what took place when she and her husband got divorced five years ago.
When her healthcare practitioner heard this, he told Teresa that according to various alcoholism facts and statistics on alcoholism he was researching, alcoholism and depression routinely happen in the same individual. He then informed Teresa that some of the alcohol statistics, research investigations, and facts he has been looking into also point out that people who drink irresponsibly and who also experience depression need to receive treatment for both medical circumstances.
Teresa’s Healthcare Professional Schedules an Appointment for a Psychological Assessment and For an Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction Appraisal
Teresa’s healthcare professional then articulated the following: “I am not trying to make an unprepared judgment, but with your medical condition we may be dealing with two separate issues. Consequently, I think we probably need to make an appointment for you to get an alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency appraisal from my partner, Dr. Galloway, who is an alcohol abuse and substance abuse specialist. Whether your drinking problem is more associated with alcohol abuse or alcoholism is not clear at this time, but I believe that further evaluation is justifiable. Then I feel we should schedule an appointment for you to get a psychological evaluation from another one of my partners, Dr. Frankel, who is a counseling psychologist. I want to get a better handle on your melancholy and see how much your depression and drinking are intertwined.” Teresa showed her satisfaction with her doctor’s treatment plan and thanked him for his help and concern. Now all she had to do was to try to trim down on her drinking and get ready for her appointments.
The Basic Issues in An Effective Alcohol Addiction Intervention
What are the important features in a productive alcohol intervention? Why do some alcohol abuse interventions succeed as predicted while more than a few bomb?
The Need for a Celebrated Record of Intervention Attainment
Scientific research reveals that a fruitful alcohol intervention needs to be administered by an intervention professional who has a proven record of intervention attainment.
In essence this means that instead of opting for an “average” addiction healthcare practitioner or psychotherapist for an addiction intervention, the individual who is selected to administer the intervention needs to be trained in alcoholism intervention techniques and needs to have a reputation of “winning” alcohol abuse interventions.
A Few Primary Illustrations of The Best Time For an Alcoholism Intervention
Scientific inquiry and alcoholism facts about interventions has also made obvious the fact that the best possible time for an alcoholism intervention is following a remarkable “happening” in the life of the alcohol addicted individual or alcohol abuser. The following represents a few examples of these kinds of important occasions:
- The alcohol addicted person or alcohol abuser has been caught stealing something of value.
- The alcohol abuser or alcohol-dependent person has been caught lying about something of significance.
- The alcohol addicted person or abusive drinker has been imprisoned for driving under the influence.
In events such as these, the alcohol dependent individual or alcohol abuser is more apt to be regretful or to feel guilty, therefore making him or her more amenable to getting the professional alcohol rehabilitation that he or she needs.
At this time, additionally, it is also imperative to emphasize the fact that the alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted individual needs to be free of alcohol during the alcohol dependency intervention. In short, if the alcohol abuser or alcohol-dependent person is inebriated during an alcohol abuse intervention, the lack of success is practically a sure thing.
Additionally, scientific investigation has also made obvious the fact that the alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted individual has to at least try to listen to what is stated in an alcohol abuse intervention. Stated more precisely, during an alcohol abuse intervention, the hazardous drinker or alcohol addicted person needs to listen to what his or her drinking problems have done to those who care for him or her the most.
The Impact of Alcohol Rehabilitation For the Careless Drinker
And lastly, scientific research demonstrates that the essential reason for an alcohol intervention in the first place is to induce the abusive drinker or alcoholic to get the professional alcohol abuse treatment that is required. Stated another way, even if the person who oversees the intervention has a splendid reputation of productive interventions and even if the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted person honestly listens to every word that is spoken all the way through an intervention, if the hazardous drinker or alcohol addicted person is not motivated to get professional alcohol abuse treatment after the alcohol abuse intervention, then the intervention will be a fiasco.
Plainly all of these factors are needed for an effective alcohol dependency intervention. If, to the contrary, the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted individual is not encouraged to seek alcohol addiction therapy after listening to his or her family members put into words the agony, irritation, and regret they feel about the alcohol abuser’s or alcohol addicted individual’s thoughtless drinking behavior and the care they feel for the problem drinker, then every other aspect of the alcohol dependency intervention will for the most part be worthless.
Even Effective Alcohol Abuse Interventions Can Flop In the Future
It also needs to be pointed out that in the face of the fact that the alcohol intervention can be viewed as productive in that it helped put the abusive drinker or alcoholic in a more receptive state of mind and genuinely helped the alcohol addicted person or alcohol abuser make up his or her mind that he or she needed alcohol rehab or professional help for alcoholism or alcohol abuse, the plain reality that the intervention transpired might result in acrimony, irritation, and mistrust in the future.
In brief, even when alcohol dependency interventions are seen as successful in the short run, in the long term, alternatively, they may fail and, for that reason, might make the family and/or the alcoholic’s situation even poorer than it was before the alcohol addiction intervention was undertaken.
No matter how unjust or ironic this seems, try to keep in mind that it is merely one of the central alcohol facts that has to be confronted when engaging in an alcohol intervention.
The Key Elements in An Effective Alcohol Abuse Intervention
What are the important elements in a productive alcohol intervention? Why do some alcoholism interventions turn out well while others bomb?
The Requirement for An Established History of Intervention Achievement
Scientific inquiry reveals that a fruitful addiction intervention needs to be directed by an intervention specialist who has an established reputation of intervention attainment.
Basically this means that rather than making a choice for an “everyday” alcohol addiction therapist or psychologist for an alcoholism intervention, the individual who is chosen to direct the intervention needs to be trained in alcohol dependency intervention methods and needs to display a record of fruitful alcohol interventions.
A Few Basic Illustrations of The Most Productive Time For an Alcohol Abuse Intervention
Scientific inquiry and alcoholism facts about interventions has also made evident the fact that the best possible time for an alcoholism intervention is following a special incident in the life of the alcoholic or hazardous drinker. The following represents a few examples of these kinds of special occasions:
- The alcohol addicted individual or alcohol abuser has been caught stealing something of value.
- The abusive drinker or alcoholic has been caught lying about something of importance.
- The alcoholic or abusive drinker has been locked up for a DWI or DUI.
In events such as these, the alcohol-dependent person or abusive drinker is more apt to feel apologetic or to feel guilt-ridden, therefore making him or her more interested in getting the quality alcohol rehabilitation that is needed.
At this time, moreover, it is also essential to underscore the fact that the alcohol abuser or alcoholic needs to be alcohol-free during the alcohol addiction intervention. In a word, if the alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted individual is intoxicated during an alcoholism intervention, the lack of success is effectively certain.
Furthermore, scientific exploration has also revealed the fact that the alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted person has to at least try to listen to what is articulated in an alcohol intervention. Stated more accurately, during an alcohol intervention, the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted individual needs to listen to what his or her drinking problems have done to those who care for him or her the most.
The Critical Nature of Alcohol Treatment For the Abusive Drinker
And finally, scientific inquiry shows that the major reason for an alcoholism intervention in the first place is to influence the abusive drinker or alcoholic to get the professional alcohol therapy that is required. Stated more accurately, even if the person who monitors the intervention has a superb track record of productive interventions and even if the alcohol abuser or alcohol dependent individual in all honesty listens to every word that is stated during the course of an intervention, if the hazardous drinker or alcohol-dependent person is not motivated to get professional alcohol dependency rehab after the alcohol dependency intervention, then the intervention will be a disappointment.
Obviously all of these factors are needed for a fruitful alcohol addiction intervention. If, nonetheless, the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted person is not stirred to get alcohol rehabilitation after listening to his or her family members communicate the grief, anger, and discontent they feel about the abusive drinker’s or alcohol addicted person’s irresponsible drinking behavior and the care they feel for the problem drinker, then every other aspect of the alcoholism intervention will basically be futile.
Even Productive Alcoholism Interventions Can Boomerang In the Future
It also needs to be underlined that despite the fact that the alcoholism intervention can be identified as fruitful in that it helped put the hazardous drinker or alcoholic in a more amenable outlook and actually helped the alcohol addicted individual or abusive drinker come to a decision that he or she required alcohol rehabilitation or professional help for alcoholism or alcohol abuse, the plain fact that the intervention occurred might lead to resentment, anger, and doubt in the long term.
To sum up, even when addiction interventions are seen as productive in the short run, in the long run, conversely, they may backfire and, consequently, might make the family and/or the alcohol dependent person’s circumstance even poorer than it was before the alcoholism intervention occurred.
No matter how unfair or incongruous this seems, try to keep in mind that it is simply one of the central alcohol facts that has to be tackled when performing an alcohol intervention.
A Television Special About Alcoholism Signs and Symptoms Results in Some Anxious and Dismal Thoughts About a Young Female’s Hazardous and Abusive Drinking
Daniel had been engaging in fairly heavy drinking behavior since her junior year in college. Now, nine years later, she drank more than ever. One Saturday night when she wasn’t feeling all that well, Daniel decided to stay home, chill out, and watch TV.
While hunting for something to watch that would capture her attention, she at once got involved in a special program about young adult and teen drinking issues.
When Common Alcoholism Signs and Symptoms are Displayed by Individuals Dependent on Alcohol
The narrator articulated the difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse and then got into the subject of alcoholic symptoms and alcoholism warning signs. When the commenter discussed a person’s alcoholic behavior and some of the more usual alcoholism signs and symptoms that alcohol dependent individuals display, Daniel got quite troubled because it virtually seemed as if the narrator was talking directly to her.
After watching the television special, Daniel made a promise to herself that she would call her health care provider the next workday and make an appointment to discuss her drinking behavior.
When the next workday arrived, true to her word, Daniel called her doctor and made an appointment. While she was waiting for the day of her appointment to arrive, she went online and did a search for alcoholic symptoms. Especially noteworthy were the following symptoms or signs: sleep problems, increasing irritability, sneaking extra drinks before social events, making excuses to drink at virtually every opportunity, and serious relationship and work-related problems.
Stated simply, due to the fact that Daniel experienced all of these symptoms she went further in her Internet search and found quite a lot of websites and blogs that featured various alcoholic symptoms and warning signs.
One of the symptoms that really captured her interest was the following: “Do you often drink after promising yourself that you won’t?” While Daniel never totally understood the fact that she may have a serious drinking problem, after reading about the diverse alcohol addiction symptoms and warning signs, she couldn’t reject the fact that for the past five or six months, she continually tried but failed at noticeably decreasing her drinking or totally quitting.
When Family Members Hassle You by Objecting to Your Hazardous Drinking Behavior
Another alcoholic sign that took hold of her interest was the following: “Have coworkers hassled you by denouncing your drinking behavior?” When Daniel read this she without delay remembered a recent squabble she had with her best friend about her hazardous drinking behavior. In addition, Daniel plainly called to mind a recent squabble she had with her parents about her hazardous drinking. Due to the fact that Daniel truthfully thought that she didn’t have a drinking problem, when friends mentioned her drinking behavior she logically got bothered and mad.
A third alcohol dependency symptom was the following: “Do you want a drink when you first awaken in the morning?” Until now, Daniel had been deceitful with herself about her drinking situation. After reading about the aforementioned alcoholism warning signs, conversely, she knew if she was really honest with herself that she was facing a major drinking issue, especially given the fact that she now felt that she required a drink the first thing in the morning to lessen her constant worry.
Not only this but the next alcohol dependency warning sign really got her thinking: “Do you drink to stay away from suffering or difficulties?” When she thought about her life for a few moments, she grasped the fact that almost in every arduous situation in the past several months, she told herself that she needed a drink to help deal with things.
The final alcohol dependency symptom that made her feel fairly on edge about her drinking situation was the following: “Has your motivation shrunk since you started drinking on a regular basis?” When Daniel read this sign she clearly recognized that drinking had become a severe difficulty in her life because of her diminished energy level and also because she quit pursuing her passions and her dreams.
Summary: When Depression Turns Into Something Exhilarating and Something to Look Forward To
After reflecting on all of these injurious alcohol dependency signs and symptoms, Daniel at first felt miserable. Then something electrifying took place. She realized that she was going to see her health care provider about her problem drinking and she also knew that she would discuss all of the above alcoholism warning symptoms and signs with her. To be sure, for the first time in quite a few months, Daniel truthfully felt a sense of hopefulness because she was dealing with her drinking concerns and was finally ready to make the needed changes so that she could regain the life that was sliding away.
When Abusive Drinking Results in Serious Health Problems
For a number of years alcohol dependency research has demonstrated the fact that there is strong relationship between alcohol addiction and critical health conditions.
As an illustration, in 2005, medical examination and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics demonstrated the fact that that alcohol abuse and alcoholism cost the United States an estimated $220 billion annually. It can be emphasized that this massive alcohol-related expenditure was substantially more than the cost linked with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is pertinent to emphasize these facts, it is also noteworthy to highlight the fact that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health issues.
More accurately, chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism are also highly correlated with obesity and with cancer.
Indeed, substance abuse research has shown that alcohol addiction can augment the risk for various types of cancer, particularly cancer of the kidneys, rectum, colon, voice box (larynx), esophagus, throat, and the liver. Abusive and recurring drinking can also result in immune system difficulties and impairment to the fetus during pregnancy.
Irresponsible and Heavy Drinking Destabilizes the Person’s Systems and Organs
Additionally, if alcoholism continues over a period of years, the individual’s body organs will more likely than not be affected in an unhealthy manner. As an illustration, chronic, hazardous drinking is particularly harmful to the liver since the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been consumed. Extreme amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and eradicates the ability of liver cells to regenerate. This medical circumstance leads to a progressive inflammatory malfunction of the liver that can ultimately lead to cirrhosis of the liver, an acute and potentially terminal medical problem.Excessive, long-term drinking not only can result in critical liver damage, but it can also result in damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this severe may be unalterable and may, in turn, lead to serious illness or premature death.
The Importance of Alcohol Therapy
It is important, consequently, to know how to recognize the various alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcohol addicted person can be given the opportunity to get the quality alcohol treatment he or she requires.
Alcohol Dependency and Technologically Advanced Brain Research
Fortuitously, scientific examination is persistently uncovering original and important information. Recent alcoholism research supplies a good illustration. More specifically, for approximately the past ten years, technologically advanced brain-imaging scanning instruments have confirmed that repetitive and chronic hazardous drinking changes the functionality of the brain to a great extent, therefore resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or conceivably as long as the person lives.
More explicitly, medical research has demonstrated that people who have been drinking in a hazardous manner for an extensive length of time increase their risk for developing long lasting and significant adaptations in the brain.
This type of damage may be directly related to the alcohol’s effects on the brain, to severe liver disease, or might be indirectly associated with the drinker’s poor overall health.
Mental Disorders, Malnutrition, and Hazardous Drinking
As a final illustration of different medical conditions that are considerably associated with alcohol dependency, consider that in accordance with scientific investigation, the abusive and repeated abuse of alcohol can result in erosive gastritis, a medical problem that decreases the absorption of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
This type of organ malfunctioning is linked to malnutrition and to a number of severe mental and neurological maladies including memory loss, sleep disturbances, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter medical problem is an enduring debilitating health problem that is characterized by incessant learning and memory difficulties.
Summary
It is obvious that repetitive, hazardous drinking is directly or indirectly correlated with a number of acute medical conditions that can and do result in serious illness and premature death. Such information needs to be highlighted and presented to everyone in our society so that a large number of people will be able to refrain from excessive drinking while other individuals who have a drinking problem will get the quality rehab they require.
When Irresponsible and Abusive Drinking Results in Serious Health Problems and Depression
For several years alcohol addiction exploration has demonstrated the fact that there is strong correlation between alcoholism and serious health conditions and mental health issues such as depression.
As an illustration, in 2005, scientific examination and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics revealed that alcohol abuse and alcoholism cost the United States an estimated $220 billion per year. It may be noted that this very large alcohol-related cost was substantially more than the cost linked with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is relevant to give emphasis to these facts, it is also important to highlight the fact that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health conditions.
More correctly, chronic alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency are also highly interrelated with obesity and with cancer.
Without a doubt, substance abuse research has shown that alcoholism can augment the risk for various forms of cancer, especially cancer of the colon, voice box (larynx), liver, rectum, throat, kidneys, and the esophagus. Heavy and recurring drinking can also result in immune system issues and injury to the fetus during pregnancy.
Abusive and Irresponsible Drinking Enfeebles the Problem Drinker’s Organs and Systems
Additionally, if alcohol dependency continues over a period of years, the person’s body organs will more likely than not be affected in a negative manner. For instance, chronic, excessive drinking is especially damaging to the liver since the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been consumed. Extreme amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and eradicates the ability of liver cells to regenerate. This medical circumstance leads to a progressive inflammatory disease of the liver that can in the long run lead to cirrhosis of the liver, a serious and possibly terminal medical problem.Abusive, long-term drinking not only can result in serious liver damage, but it can also result in damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this dangerous may be irreversible and may, in turn, result in severe ill health or an untimely death.
The Relevance of Alcohol Treatment
It is vital, consequently, to know how to recognize the various alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcohol dependent person can be given the opportunity to get the professional alcohol counseling he or she needs.
Alcohol Addiction and Sophisticated Brain Exploration
Fortunately, medical research is continuously generating unique and important information. Recent alcoholism exploration provides an excellent example. Stated another way, for approximately the past ten years, sophisticated brain-imaging scanning instruments have confirmed that repetitive and chronic irresponsible drinking modifies the makeup of the brain to a substantial extent, thereby resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or perchance as long as the individual exists.
More to the point, medical investigation has shown that people who have been drinking abusively for a sizeable length of time increase their risk for developing lasting and significant modifications in the brain.
This type of damage may be indirectly associated with the drinker’s poor overall health or directly related to severe liver disease or to the alcohol’s effects on the brain.
Abusive Drinking, Malnutrition, and Mental Disorders
As a final illustration of assorted health problems that are to a great extent correlated to alcohol dependency, consider that in accordance with medical examination, the excessive and repeated abuse of alcohol can result in erosive gastritis, a medical problem that decreases the absorption of minerals, nutrients, and vitamins.
This type of organ failure is correlated with malnutrition and to a variety of severe mental and neurological disorders including memory loss, sleep disturbances, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter health problem is an enduring debilitating medical condition that is exemplified by recurring memory and learning problems.
Conclusion
It is apparent that continued, hazardous drinking is directly or indirectly correlated with numerous dangerous medical conditions that can and do result in serious illness and premature death. Such information needs to be emphasized and presented to everyone in our society so that a multitude of people will be able to refrain from excessive drinking while other individuals who have a drinking problem will get the professional rehabilitation they require.
When Irresponsible Drinking Results in Serious Health Problems
For several years alcoholism exploration has revealed the fact that there is strong association between alcohol dependency and serious health conditions.
For example, in 2005, medical exploration and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics revealed that alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction cost the United States an estimated $220 billion annually. It can be stressed that this huge alcohol-related expense was substantially more than the cost linked with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is pertinent to stress these facts, it is also noteworthy to emphasize the point that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health conditions.
More accurately, chronic alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction are also highly correlated with obesity and with cancer.
Certainly, substance abuse exploration has demonstrated the fact that alcohol dependency can increase the risk for various forms of cancer, particularly cancer of the kidneys, rectum, colon, voice box (larynx), esophagus, throat, and the liver. Abusive and repetitive drinking can also result in immune system problems and damage to the fetus during pregnancy.
Abusive and Excessive Drinking Deteriorates the Person’s Systems and Organs
Furthermore, if alcohol dependency continues over a period of years, the person’s body organs will likely be affected in an unsafe manner. As an illustration, repeated, excessive drinking is especially hurtful to the liver since the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been consumed. Excessive amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and eradicates the ability of liver cells to reproduce. This condition leads to a progressive inflammatory malfunction of the liver that can in the end lead to cirrhosis of the liver, a serious and potentially incurable medical problem.Heavy, long-term drinking not only can result in serious liver damage, but it can also lead to damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this critical may be irreparable and may, in turn, result in severe illness or an early death.
The Critical Nature of Alcohol Treatment
It is imperative, as a result, to know how to identify the various alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcohol addicted individual can be given the opportunity to seek the quality alcohol counseling he or she requires.
Alcohol Dependency and Sophisticated Brain Research
Fortunately, medical investigation is persistently unearthing novel and important information. Recent alcoholism research supplies a high-quality example. More accurately, for roughly the last ten years, complex brain-imaging scanning instruments have shown that continuous and long-term abusive drinking alters the configuration of the brain to a substantial extent, thusly resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or maybe as long as the individual lives.
Stated differently, medical investigation has shown that people who have been drinking in a hazardous manner for a considerable length of time increase their risk for developing long lasting and severe modifications in the brain.
This type of damage may be directly related to the alcohol’s effects on the brain, to severe liver disease, or might be indirectly associated with the drinker’s poor overall health.
Mental Disorders, Malnutrition, and Hazardous Drinking
As a final illustration of assorted health problems that are to a large extent related to alcohol dependency, take into account the fact that according to medical research, the abusive and repeated abuse of alcohol can result in erosive gastritis, a medical problem that decreases the absorption of minerals, nutrients, and vitamins.
This type of organ malfunctioning is associated with malnutrition and to an assortment of acute mental and neurological syndromes including memory loss, sleep disturbances, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter medical condition is a long lasting incapacitating health problem that is exemplified by persistent learning and memory problems.
Conclusion
It is clear that continued, excessive drinking is directly or indirectly linked to numerous severe medical problems that can and do result in serious diseases and premature death. Such information needs to be stressed and presented to everyone in our society so that a massive amount of individuals will be able to abstain from abusive drinking while other individuals who have a drinking problem will get the quality rehab they need.
When Drinking Becomes a Problem
How do you recognize that you have a drinking problem? When is it obvious that you are involving yourself in hazardous drinking?
If you have hopelessly struggled to stop drinking or if you sworn to yourself that your drinking days are gone and then you recognized that you were drinking abusively just a few days later, the probability is incredibly good that you have drinking problems. The bottom line is that if you have attempted to stop drinking and cannot get this done, then your drinking is controlling you, instead of the other way around.
Likewise, if it takes greater amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” more likely than not you need to recognize the fact that you have a problem with your drinking.
You may be telling yourself that the justification for your drinking is so that you can decrease your apprehension or get rid of the hurt that you feel. In much the same way, you may be trying to steer clear of a harmful situation and may be looking for something more useful, more constructive, or less sorrowful.
As you continue to drink, nevertheless, you will comprehend that drinking does not elicit the same high and you will also become aware that drinking doesn’t help eliminate whatever elicited your problem in the first place.
As you continue to drink in an excessive way, regrettably, you may become an alcoholic and, as a consequence, you may add another important problem to manage rather than unearthing more successful and healthy ways of managing your alcohol generated issues.
When an Alcohol Assessment is Required
If you have figured out that you have a drinking problem, maybe the best thing you can do for yourself is to call your medical doctor or healthcare practitioner and arrange for an appointment for a physical and for a review of your drinking behavior.
If you truthfully think that you have a crucial problem with your drinking, it might be a good idea to get prepared to find out that you need to get alcohol counseling.
At this point, what are your options? You can positively say no and refuse to see your doctor and persevere with your pattern of out-of-control drinking.
It truly doesn’t take a nuclear physicist, nonetheless, to understand that chronic, heavy drinking, if left untreated, will deteriorate over time and almost certainly lead to an early death. As a result, your most expedient alternative is to face up to your drinking situation and get the alcohol rehabilitation you require.
The Deceit of the Functioning Alcohol Dependent Person
It is somewhat peculiar to note the fact that numerous alcohol dependent individuals lead busy and active lives and have vehicles, jobs, pets, houses, families, and any number of material possessions just like non-alcoholics.
Many of these “functional” alcohol addicted people may have never been apprehended for a DUI and may have been fortunate enough to avoid all alcohol induced legal predicaments. Despite this fortunate circumstance, conversely, these alcohol dependent people need to drink in order to deal with life on a daily basis while upholding their facade as they associate with people outside their family.
Ask anyone who has seen them when they are engaging in one of their drinking binges or in a drunken stupor or ask a family member about the problem drinker’s alcohol addiction, then again, and they will be quick to maintain the reality of the drinker’s situation and the essentials about the alcohol dependent person’s drinking predicament and about his or her alcohol produced predicaments.
Why Do Alcohol Dependent People Fail to Recognize Their Drinking Problems?
As alcohol addiction research and statistics on alcohol abuse have underscored, no matter how clear the alcohol induced problems seem to those who interact with the alcohol dependent person, alcohol dependent people regularly deny that drinking is the basis of their alcohol produced predicaments. Not only this, but alcohol addicted individuals usually blame their alcohol-related predicaments on other individuals or upon other situations that surround them instead of seeing their part in the issue.
The root of the problem is that alcohol addiction is a disease of the brain. Once the drinker has become an alcoholic, he or she regularly resorts to denial, manipulation, and dishonesty as a way of coping with the fact that his or her drinking is out of control. And to make the situation worse, the experience of alcohol withdrawal symptoms characteristically thwarts the alcoholic’s rare attempts to suddenly stop drinking. As bleak as the alcoholic’s life is, to the contrary, the good news is that quality assistance is extensively obtainable – if the alcohol dependent individual reaches out and gets alcoholism rehab.
Conclusion
Admitting the fact that drinking is triggering issues in your day to day functioning is conceivably the easiest way to determine if you have a problem with your drinking. More to the point, if your drinking is bringing about issues with your health, at work, in your relationships, with your finances, at school, or with the legal system, then you have a drinking problem that needs to be resolved.
If you have a problem with your drinking, furthermore, this means that you are involving yourself in excessive drinking.
While some drinkers may be able to pinpoint their “alcohol signs,” pinpoint their difficulties, and significantly reduce the quantity and occurrence of their drinking, other drinkers, however, need to address their drinking difficulties by getting quality alcohol counseling. Additionally, due to their inclination to deny the facts and alter the truth, alcohol addicted individuals unquestionably require quality alcohol rehabilitation for their excessive drinking.
Enabling, Alcohol Relapse, and Alcohol Addiction
It is worthy of note to articulate something that family members who have been harmfully affected by the alcohol dependency of another family member apparently do not know. It seems to be that by shielding the alcoholic with untruths and dishonesty to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have in reality created a circumstance that makes it easier for the alcohol dependent person to continue and go forward with his or her harmful, devastating lifestyle.
Without a doubt, rather than helping the alcohol dependent individual and themselves, these family members have in reality become enablers who have inadvertently helped worsen the alcohol dependent individual’s drinking problem even more.
Perhaps the real downside of this is that the alcohol dependent individual will continue drinking in an excessive and abusive manner and experience diverse “alcohol side effects.” Some of these side effects include considerable financial problems, poor health, legal issues (such as getting arrested for one or more DUIs), employment difficulties, diminished mental functioning, and deteriorating relationships.
The Possibility of a Relapse is Real
According to the research literature and statistics on alcohol addiction, another key alcohol addiction issue concerns alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol addicted individual has effectively undergone alcohol addiction treatment and then resorts to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first thought, this circumstance seems contradictory to common sense and looks so far-fetched that it forces a person to wonder why anyone who has lived through the dejection of alcohol dependency can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol therapy and in turn after attaining sobriety. There are, for sure, numerous feasible reasons for this.
It should be noted, however that alcohol dependency research that has centered on the lasting consequences of alcohol dependency has shown that long after the alcohol addicted person has terminated his or her drinking, critical modifications in the way in which the alcoholic’s brain functions are still present. As a consequence, all a recovering alcohol addicted person has to do to involve himself or herself in behaviors that correspond with the alterations that have occurred in the brain is to engage in drinking again.
The Necessity for A Significant Lifestyle Change
There are additional reasons why several recovering alcohol dependent individuals return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after achieving sobriety. In accordance to the alcohol addiction research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol dependent individual needs new ways of acting and thinking in order to deal more competently with difficult alcohol-related situations that will take place.
Situations such as returning to the same alcohol addictive atmosphere or to the same geographic location; interacting once again with friends from the time when the alcohol addicted individual was drinking in a hazardous manner; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these conditions can elicit memories that can prompt psychological tension or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol addicted individual to engage in irresponsible drinking once again. Regrettably, all of these circumstances may not only work against long-term sobriety for the alcohol dependent individual but they can also result in relapse and consequently cancel out one’s alcohol recovery.
The Good News: There’s a Lot of Hope for Lasting Sobriety
In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol addicted individual, family members can actually cause inadvertent harm by enabling the negative drinking behavior of the alcohol addicted individual.
The addiction research literature validates the fact that most people who successfully complete alcohol rehab experience at least one relapse. Alcohol dependent persons and their family members need to know this so that they do not get dejected or beleaguered when a relapse occurs.
Fortunately, involvement in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up therapy and training have resulted in more successful, long-term alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction treatment results, have helped diminish alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol dependent individuals achieve long standing alcohol recovery.








